Earthquake shakes Cumbria
A small earthquake, measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, has struck Cumbria. One hotel owner told Channel 4 News she thought it was a gas explosion. There have been no reports of any damage.
Picture courtesy of the British Geological Survey
The tremor struck just before 11pm on Tuesday night in Coniston, Cumbria and lasted for up to a minute.
It was felt in places across the county and as far away as Lancashire, south-west Scotland, Northumberland and the Isle of Man.
No damage or injuries have yet been reported.
It sounded like a gas explosion. Sue Holland
Sue Holland, owner of Lakeland House in Coniston, told Channel 4 News she feared the worst: “I was on the top floor and it sounded like a gas explosion.
“I rushed downstairs but saw nothing and eventually realised what it must have been.
“Earthquakes are so rare that your mind immediately thinks it’s something more rational..like a gas explosion.”
Student Freya Jepson was at her granny’s house when the earthquake struck: “The cabinet started to move and the tinsel on the wall started to shake.
“I mentioned it to my auntie who said it might have been vibrations from cars outside but then I turned on the news an hour later and saw there had been an earthquake.”
Peter Kelly, owner of the Yewdale Hotel in Coniston, said: “We felt the earthquake. It probably lasted about 30 seconds. It was quite noticeable.
“We were just closing up the bar with a few residents in and we just felt like a bang and then a rumbling but we couldn’t decide what it was.
“There’s no damage but there was a heavy rumbling.”
Previous UK earthquakes
The largest tremor in recent times measured 5.2 and caused damage to buildings and at least one injury when it hit near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire in February, 2008.
It was felt as far away as Wales, Scotland and London, and there were reports of residents being woken from their sleep by the tremor.
Other earthquakes deemed to be "considerable" by the British Geological Survey include a 5.1 magnitude tremor which rocked Bishop's Castle in Shropshire in 1990.
The largest known offshore earthquake in the UK occurred in the North Sea on June 7 1931, about 120km north east of Great Yarmouth.
Measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, it was felt across most of Britain, in the east of Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of France, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
A spokesman for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service said: “We can confirm that following the earth tremor that occurred in Cumbria that we have received numerous calls from members of the public but at the present time we are not attending any incidents which are related to the earth tremor.”
Several listeners contacted local radio stations to say they compared last night’s disruption to the sound of a washing machine.
One said: “It was as if the washing machine was spinning with too much in it.”
We get an earthquake of this size somewhere in the UK roughly every 12-18 months. Damage is very unlikely Dr Brian Baptie BGS
Data from the British Geological Survey (BGS) showed the location of the quake at Coniston, with a depth of 14.3km (8.9 miles). The rumble was also flagged up by the US Geological Survey.
BGS Head of Seismology Dr Brian Baptie said: “We get an earthquake of this size somewhere in the UK roughly every 12-18 months. Damage is very unlikely.
“An earthquake of this size and depth might be felt up to 80-100 km away. The earthquake has probably made windows and doors rattle and small objects might have been displaced.”
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said the force also had reports of people feeling a tremor in Dalbeattie.
